The status of men

November 10, 2010

Boys are lagging. A new report examines how the decline of marriage may play a role

(Ottawa) – Today the Institute of Marriage and Family Canada is releasing The Status of Men. This report outlines the problems facing men, including higher dropout rates from school, lower rates of university attendance and higher suicide rates.

“Family breakdown amounts to father absence for most families,” says lead author, Andrea Mrozek. “It’s reasonable to examine what effect this might take on males, no matter their age.” The paper examines not only all the positives fathers bring to families but also the benefits of family, more specifically, marriage, for men. “Marriage brings with it multiple benefits for men. The research says married men work harder, are more committed, and have better health outcomes,” Mrozek points out.

There are different theories pertaining to men and marriage. For example, anthropologist Margaret Mead points out that in cultures across the globe, “the worry that boys will not grow up to be men is much more widespread than the worry that girls will not grow up to be women.” Researchers theorize that marriage as an institution serves to include men in family. Outside of family, men are more likely to commit crime, experience substance abuse and live shorter lives.

Marriage is in decline. Fewer Canadians are getting married, and they are doing so at older ages. The purpose of today’s release is to examine how that is affecting Canadian men. “We spend a lot of time worrying about women and girls,” says Mrozek. “We need a return to balance, to examine how current cultural trends might affect men, because where men fail, women don’t thrive either.”